Configure and use OpenSSH client and server on Windows 11/10

The SSH (Secure Shell) protocol works by authenticating a remote user and transferring inputs from the client to the host. It then re-transmits the output back to the client – the communication is delivered encrypted so the security is much higher than Telnet. We have already seen how to install OpenSSH on Windows 11; now this post, we will illustrate how to configure and use both OpenSSH client and server on Windows 11/10.

Configure and use OpenSSH client & server

To begin, first, verify the OpenSSH client installation.

1. Launch the Settings app by pressing the Windows key + I combo.
2. In the Settings app, select the Apps sub-category.
3. On the right side of the Apps & features window, click on the Optional features link.
4. In the next window that opens, scroll down to locate the OpenSSH Client. If the client is already installed, no user interaction is required – otherwise, just click on the install button.

Having done that, the next action to perform is to add/install the OpenSSH server on Windows

Still in the Optional features window – at the top, click on Add a feature.

Now scroll down and select OpenSSH Server. Click on the Install button and wait a few seconds while the feature is installed.

Once the action is completed, restart the computer to confirm the changes.

The client and the SSH server are now installed.

Now, you’ll need to configure the SSH server to start every time you boot Windows 10. Here’s how:

Press the Windows key + R. In the Run dialog type services.msc, hit Enter.

Then scroll down and double-click one after the other – OpenSSH SSH Server and OpenSSH Authentication Agent – and set the Startup type to Automatic.

Click Apply > OK.

Side note: You may not see the OpenSSH SSH Server listed. This means that the previous action to add the feature failed. In this case, you can install the feature via the command line. Here’s how:

Open an elevated command prompt. Copy and paste the command below and hit Enter to find out the exact capability/feature name and if it’s in your system because it’s hidden.

dism /online /get-capabilities | findstr /i "OpenSSH.Server"

Once that executes successfully, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter to install the feature:

dism /online /Add-Capability /CapabilityName:OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0

You do not need to restart your PC – just click on the Action menu on the Services window and click Refresh. The OpenSSH SSH Server feature will be listed.

Now, it is necessary to verify if the SSH services are active. Here’s how:

Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

In the PowerShell window, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter-

Get-Service -Name *ssh*

You’ll be presented with the following output:

Next, you’ll have to configure the Windows Firewall in order to have access to your computer through SSH. To do so, still, in the PowerShell window, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter.

.\netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SSHD Port" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=22

You can now test whether the SSH server is listening on port 22. To do so, still, in the PowerShell window, copy and paste the command below and hit Enter.

.\netstat -bano | .\more.com

You’ll be presented with the following output:

Tip: If you don’t see Port 22 listed, restart your PC and on boot, re-execute the command.

Going forward, you can now connect remotely to an SSH server. To successfully establish a connection, the following parameters are required:

1. User name
2. User password
3. Server IP Address
4. The port where the SSH server is listening. In this case, the Port is 22.

To establish a connection to the OpenSSH server, launch PowerShell, type the command below, and hit Enter, depending on your own parameters.

ssh -p 22 [email protected]

Here, remember to use your personal details.

Then type the password and hit Enter again to access the remote computer. You will have access via PowerShell to the SSH server. In this way, your data remains safe from possible threat actors.

That’s it on configuring a secure connection using OpenSSH in Windows 11/10.

Now read: How to generate an SSH key in Windows 11.